


Proximity

by slumberingweald



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Comedy, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:54:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23385577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slumberingweald/pseuds/slumberingweald
Summary: They arrived at the location of their room, and Gou scanned one of the keycards in the door handle. A soft click resounded in the quiet hallway. He grabbed the door handle and opened it with some grace, not wanting to cause a lot of noise in the silent hallway. He stepped into the room and inhaled the air with a soft smile on his face. It smelled of clean linen and cool air conditioning. He’d have to adjust the thermostat a little, but otherwise he was quite pleased with the room's atmosphere.Until he opened his eyes that is. Gou’s smile faded as he cursed the many legends of Arceus for his wonderful luck.“Oh, there’s only one bed,” Ash said from behind him, echoing Gou’s thoughts.-----or alternatively: 5 times Gou shares his personal space with Ash.
Relationships: Gou/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Comments: 10
Kudos: 147





	Proximity

They came running through the Pokemon Center, rain pouring in through the open doors. The sliders shut behind them with a resounding click and the steady rumble of rain on the roof of the Pokemon center could be heard over the soft music playing in the lobby.

Pikachu shook itself dry, splattering water all over the place. Ash and Gou shielded themselves from the spray of wet-mouse water. Ash took off his cap and shook it, water dripping from his hair and down his face. Gou stood awkwardly, soaked to the bone and not having a towel to dry himself off with.

He observed the lobby they were in. There were trainers of all kinds scattered around the area, most of them tending to their pokemon with towels and food. A particularly loud staraptor cawed when its trainer attempted to dry it. Gou sighed and released Raboot out of its ball, having returned it earlier when the rain started to come down.

“There’s so many trainers here...I don’t know if we’ll be able to get a room,” he said to Ash, rubbing his arms. The cool air conditioning of the building was starting to chill his wet skin.

“It’s not all bad! We can camp in the lobby until the rain stops at least, that’s what lots of trainers do!” Ash replied, not a hint of pessimism in his voice despite being drenched worse than a sponge in a bathtub. His smile was as bright as ever, practically drying the water off his cheeks.

Gou cringed and easily found himself not sharing that same optimism. He looked around at all the different characters scattered around in the lobby and then down at the harsh linoleum floor. Mud prints littered the tile, wet and smeared all over. Gou could feel dirt particles crunch under his own wet sneakers. The few available pieces of furniture were already taken up by other people. They don’t even have any camping supplies to make themselves comfortable in the lobby, unfortunately.

“...let’s just ask and see if they have any rooms left,” Gou quickly suggested before beelining towards the counter. He approached Nurse Joy, who turned to face him with a sweet smile.

“Weren’t prepared for the sudden rainstorm, were you?” she giggled a little. Gou paused for a moment before nodding.

“Y-yeah, the rain seemed to come out of nowhere. We were trying to investigate the ruins before we got rained out.”

“It happens a lot here, actually. The northwest winds that blow over Lake Valor and the height of the mountains the ruins are located tend to create a lot of unsuspecting rainstorms in the area. The route between here and Veilstone is usually hit the most, but here in Solaceon we get our fair share of sudden downpours too. Most travelers are not aware of this, so we make sure to have plenty of towels ready,” she pointed to her right, where a shelf stocked with light pink towels rested. “Please help yourself!”

“Chan-sey!” Chansey agreed as it walked by, placing more clean towels on the shelf. Gou smiled lightly.

“Thanks,” he replied, “but I was wondering if you had any spare rooms left for a night? My friend and I were hoping to get a second chance to look at the ruins tomorrow.”

Nurse Joy hummed before turning to her computer. Her fingers clacked against a few keys, and she tapped the screen a few times. Gou stood rather impatiently, rubbing his arms again to chase away the cold forming on his skin. His shirt stuck rather uncomfortably to his shoulders. He was undoubtedly ready for a shower.

“Ah, it looks like we have one room left. But it’s rather small, are you sure-”

“We’ll take it,” Gou interrupted. He desperately wanted to change out of his clothes, room be damned. If there was one, he’ll take it!

Nurse Joy’s smile became a little strained, her infinite patience a godsend. Gou didn’t notice, however, and he watched as she began tapping away at her monitor. Suddenly his vision became obscured by pink fluff and he heard himself cry out in alarm. He yanked the offending towel off his head and turned to glare at Ash. Ash only grinned at him.

“Figured you could use one of those,” he chirped. His hat was back in its signature place on his head. His hair was dryer now, slightly tousled from where he obviously ran a towel through it. The towel rested around his neck, slightly damp. Gou glared at him (it was more of a pout) and grabbed the bill of his friend’s cap, yanking it down. Ash laughed heartily, his eyes now covered by his hat. Nurse Joy chuckled a little at their antics.

“Trainer registration, please,” she asked. Gou handed her his Rotom-phone with his trainer license pulled up on it. A few moments later and the transaction was complete.

“Your room is listed on your app now,” she explained, smiling and handing back his phone along with a sleeve of electronic keycards. “There are individual bathrooms in each room, so please relax and enjoy your stay!”

Gou thanked her before power walking towards the elevator, his wet sneakers squelching against the tile. Raboot silently followed him, brooding as much as ever. Pikachu sprinted in front of them, beating them to the elevator doors. Gou pressed the button and the doors smoothly slid open with a beep. He stepped in, carefully avoiding the walls of the elevator and pressing the button labeled “3” with his knuckle. Ash quickly followed him into the small space, leaning up against the railing in the back. The doors sealed themselves silently, and the elevator lurched a little as it began to rise upwards in the shaft.

“I can’t wait to change out of these clothes,” Ash whined, wringing out his white shirt. No water came out in the attempt, but Ash continued to do it anyways. Gou watched before agreeing.

“Yeah, my shirt is sticking to my shoulders and it feels worse than when my cascoon wrapped me in their string shot.”

“Yeah, because string shot doesn’t soak you like a hydro pump!”

Gou glanced at Ash, a small smile forming on his lips. The analogy made no sense to him, but Ash’s enthusiasm can be slightly contagious.

“It’s like kyogre itself summoned its Primordial Sea on us out there,” he chuckled. The elevator pinged their arrival to the third floor, and the doors opened to reveal a clean hallway lined with doors. 

“I can’t wait to shower and lay down in a bed,” Gou continued, “Climbing those cliffs to get to the ruins really wore me out. The rain didn’t help either, because now I just feel like a wet and cold lillipup. How do you still have so much energy?”

“It's all in your diet! Brock told me plenty of times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Ash exclaimed with a fist pumped. Gou thought back to earlier that morning where the same boy had proceeded to eat 6 packs of airline peanuts and an energy bar he stashed in his backpack for “breakfast”.

“I think it’s just you, Ash,” Gou mumbled, more to himself. They arrived at the location of their room, and Gou scanned one of the keycards in the door handle. A soft click resounded in the quiet hallway. He grabbed the door handle and opened it with some grace, not wanting to cause a lot of noise in the silent hallway. He stepped into the room and inhaled the air with a soft smile on his face. It smelled of clean linen and cool air conditioning. He’d have to adjust the thermostat a little, but otherwise he was quite pleased with the room's atmosphere.

Until he opened his eyes that is. Gou’s smile faded as he cursed the many legends of Arceus for his wonderful luck.

“Oh, there’s only one bed,” Ash said from behind him, echoing Gou’s thoughts. Pikachu and Raboot squeezed around their trainers to explore the room. Raboot leaned by the window, peering down at the street below them. Pikachu joined, cooing softly at the view. Ash walked further into the small room, taking off his backpack and dropping it on the yellow comforter of the bed. 

Gou stood still in the entryway, surveying the room. There was a desk with a small rolling chair, a bed stand with a digital clock, and two doors, one for a closet and one for the bathroom. A minifridge sat next to the desk along with a small plastic wastebasket. The room was rather cozy, but Gou couldn’t help but notice the singular full bed and distinct lack of furniture in the room that could be used as sleeping places. He dropped his backpack on the floor with a loud thump and groaned loudly, pressing his hands to his face.

“I can’t believe this,” he whined, voice muffled by his hands. Ash paused from where he was digging through his backpack and tilted his head at him.

“What’s wrong, Gou?”

“There’s only one bed,” he gestured to the offending yellow mattress. “Oh, Arceus…”

“It’s not that bad, there’s plenty of space. If we stick to both sides of the bed we can share-”

“Absolutely not. The last thing I want right now is to cramp myself up on a bed after a long day like this one! I’ll wake up super sore,” he complained, gesturing wildly. “And I know how you tend to take over a bed when sleeping in it, there’s not enough space for that! I can’t-” Gou cut himself off when he saw Ash deflate ever so slightly at his words.

Oh Arceus, did he really just let his mouth run like that? Guilt flamed up in his chest, burning at his lungs. He opened his mouth to say something else, but his throat felt tight and dry all of a sudden.

“Yeah, it was a bad idea, sorry Gou,” Ash averted his gaze, staring at the door behind Gou instead of at him. “I can sleep on the floor, no biggie. Wouldn’t be the first time!” Gou frowned at Ash’s enthusiasm, clearly not all of it was genuine. “How about I go n’ grab some food from downstairs while you clean up? You were saying how you wanted to get out of your wet clothes.” Ash stood up, grabbing his own Rotom-phone before walking past Gou.

“I’ll be back,” he said before he walked out into the hallway. Pikachu picked up a key card and called after Ash, and followed after his trainer. The door clicked shut.

Gou stood awkwardly in the room. The wet feeling on his clothes hung on him heavily along with the guilt he now felt for letting his poor attitude get the best of him. He groaned dramatically and pulled at his hair, frizzing it up at the sides.

“Arceus, why am I so stupid?! He was only trying to help,” he spoke to the room. Raboot looked at his trainer, its gaze piercing. Gou felt scrutinized under his own Pokemon’s eyes.

“Bi,” it said with some sternness. Somehow Gou knew what his Pokemon was trying to tell him, and it was something along the lines of, “Good job, you messed up. Now apologize.”

Or maybe that’s what Gou already knew and he was self projecting his thoughts on Raboot. He sighed and rubbed his temple.

“I’m going to go shower,” he told his Pokemon before disappearing into the bathroom.

Ash was sitting at the desk munching on a sandwich when Gou stepped out of the bathroom. He swiveled around to face him, cheeks full. Guilt panged gently in Gou’s chest.

“I grabbed some food for us,” Ash gestured to a tray of random snacks piled up on the desk behind him. “Feel free to help yourself. These sandwiches are very good!”

“Pika!” Pikachu agreed from the desk, a small chunk of Ash’s sandwich in his paws.

“A-ah, thanks,” Gou rubbed his arm through his pajama’s sleeves. “Ash-”

“Also, could I borrow the comforter for the floor? The carpet is kinda rough, and I checked that there was two sheets on the bed so you should be fine if we turn the heat up-”

“Ash,” Gou interrupted bluntly. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“I-are you sure? I know you weren’t really comfortable with the idea,” he said with concern, his brows furrowing. “And like you said, I do hog up the bed. It'll be better if you can stretch out so your body doesn’t get all cramped in the mornin'.” Gou felt his face heat with shame. Arceus, he was such a jerk earlier.

“I’m sure. I..uh, s-sorry,” Gou started, his voice cracking a little. “I was...I just was in a really bad mood earlier and really shouldn’t have said that stuff,” Gou looked down at his feet, his toes curling around the soft strands of the carpet. He was really bad with this apologizing thing. “And the bed is big enough, we should be fine.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Ash smiling softly at him. His brown eyes shone with nothing but genuine calmness and concern. Gou felt his chest twinge with something odd-- not quite guilt, but still gave him a strange, floating feeling.

“Apology accepted,” Ash told him, “but if you feel uncomfortable at any time please let me know! Now,” he tapped Gou’s chest with his fist. “Why don’t you get something to eat! It always helps me when I’m in a bad mood.” He walked over to his backpack rested, and picked up a small pile of clothes. “In the meantime, I’ll change-”

“And shower,” Gou interrupted. “I know how gross I was after today, and you're the one who fell down a mudslide! There’s no way I’m sharing a blanket with your crust all over the sheets.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ash argued playfully. “I’ve been through much worse! Walking through Viridian Forest during Beedrill sap season can end up really badly if you're not careful. I had honey in places-”

“I don't even want to know,” Gou cut him off by shoving him gently in the direction of the bathroom door. He looked up at Ash and grinned a little mischievously. Ash laughed before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door gently.

Gou flopped on the bed, his back bouncing lightly off the mattress. He listened to the sound of the rain pattering against the window until the sound of the shower turning on drowned out the rest of the white noise. His eyes wandered to where Raboot was sitting on the windowsill, gnawing on some of its pokechow. It was gazing at him with the slightest smirk in its eyes that only Gou knew what it meant.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he sighed dramatically as Pikachu snickered at him. Raboot closed its eyes and continued eating its dinner.

Ash came out of the bathroom some time later to find Gou watching Pokemon collecting videos on his phone and chewing on a granola bar. He grabbed himself another snack and plopped down next to Gou on the bed, joining in on his video watching. They laid together and watched videos, Gou sharing stories about his small expeditions when going around Vermillion CIty trying to find Mew. Somehow they found themselves watching famous Pokemon League matches on Gou’s phone and he found himself listening very attentively to Ash as he told him stories about his matches in the Pokemon League.

“And then Infernape claimed the win. He was so strong in that match, and I was so proud,” Ash finished with a yawn.

“That’s so cool though. Serves that Paul guy right that you proved him wrong about his training methods! And I’m sure Infernape was really happy too,” Gou complimented.

“Yeah…” Ash said sleepily, his eyes drooping. “I think ‘m gonna sleep now Gou.”

“Alright, I should try to sleep too,” Gou nodded. Ash reached over and patted him before rolling over.

“Glad you’re feelin’ better. G’night, Gou,” he said, voice slurring a little.

Gou felt his ears heat up as he stared at his friend’s back fondly. He watched as his breathing slowed almost immediately, and when Gou rolled over to face the window, he felt his back gently press up against Ash’s.

“Good night, Ash,” he replied, not sure if Ash really heard him. A dumb smile crept up on his face as he layed there, watching water droplets roll down the windowpane. His heart felt a little light as he thought about all the conversations he shared with his friend. The warmth from their backs touching felt comforting to Gou, and soon he found himself drifting off into darkness.

When sunlight streamed through the windows of the Pokemon Center the next morning, Gou awoke to find himself extremely warm and cozy. He was on his back, blanket half covering his legs. Raboot was curled next to his thigh, snoozing silently. Pikachu was draped across his stomach, along with a pair of arms that were snaked around his torso. Ash’s head rested on his bicep, slightly drooling. Gou laid unmoving, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun and all the bodies cuddling around him.

Until he blinked the last bits of sleep from his eyes and his mind finally registered exactly what was happening. His face turned scarlet as his body lurched unexpectedly. It was at this moment he also realized how close he was to the edge of the bed, and he promptly fell off it, taking poor Raboot and Pikachu with him.

And, just like any other morning with Ash-

"Pika-chuuuuu!"

They had a rather shocking wake-up call.

**Author's Note:**

> i headcanon Gou be be kind of...uptight about his hygiene. he's a city boy so of course he wouldnt want to sleep on the floor of a pokemon center lobby, unlike ash who sleeps like a feral pokemon lmao


End file.
